a safe haven in the shadow of war? – mia korpiola 89 put an end to the repeated petitions and to placate the profound and repeated irritation that the policy had caused in the mining districts.247 Thus, from the perspective of the crown, there were very practical reasons for administering justice and granting mercy. As observed for other European regions, “the administration of criminal justice could prove very profitable” for rulers.248 In Sweden, revenues from fines amounted to a significant sums even if the king could usually pocket only a third of the fines as two-thirds went to the injured party and some to the hundred and the local judge. If the injured party was the fisc, as in the case of crown officials abusing their position by, for example, withholding revenues or accepting bribes, the king received most of the fine. The desperation of the financial situation of the state was such that the efficient collection of revenues was essential in trying to make the payment of the ransomof Älvsborg to the Danes in accordance with the treaty conditions. Moreover, in this activity the Svea Court demonstrated a parallel with one of its predecessors, King ErikXIV’s High Council of which Jerker Rosén has observed that the dire economic situation during the years of war against Denmark contributed to the paramount need of the crown to “raise funds at any cost.” The activity of the court served this overarching purpose.249 Hoverer, even though the penalty of condemned homicides could be commuted to fines ranging in some cases from a hundred to three hundred dalers,250 it would be wrong to consider the royal prerogative of pardon in the hands of the Court of Appeal as a mere milch cow hypocritically reared for the benefit of the near-bankrupt crown. Especially in cases of murder or incest, the chances of dodging the executioner’s axe were relatively slim.251 The circumstances and individual guilt were carefully assessed in manslaughter. In a case of breaking the peace of the home (heemgång) and homicide in Västerås, the Court of Appeal observed that only one of the four guilty lackeys was to be spared. The other three who had had drawn 247 Odén, Birgitta 1960 pp. 342-348. 248 Lenman, Bruce and Parker, Geoffrey 1980 p. 20. 249 Rosén, Jerker 1955 p. 40: “Det skärpta ekonomiska läget under krigsåren har uppenbarligen medfört, att det för kronan var av största betydelse att till varje pris erhålla medel. Även nämnden har blivit ett redskap för att befrämja medelanskaffningen.” 250 RA, SHA, D VIII a:1. 251 See also RA, Riksregistraturet, vol 127, 1616, S21435 21/22: Kong: Maÿ:tts resolution opå någre högmåls saker i Smålandh af Wexsiö den 11 Decembris 1616.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjYyNDk=